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Understanding Employment Law: The Civil Rights Act and Age Discrimination in Employment Act

5/16/2014

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The Civil Rights Act of 1964

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects applicants from discrimination in hiring. Protection is granted on the basis of the applicant’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), and national origin.

Religious discrimination includes an employer failing to provide reasonable accommodations for an employee’s religious practices if the accommodation does not create an undue hardship for the employer.

Age Discrimination in Employment Act

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) protects jobseekers who are 40 years of age — or older — from age discrimination in hiring. However, it is not illegal for an employer to favor an older job applicant over a younger one, even if both workers are age 40 or older. The law also forbids harassment because of age — for example, offensive remarks or repeated jokes about a person’s age.

The ADEA applies to employers with 20 or more employees, including state and local government entities.

Relevance to Jobseekers:


•     The ADEA generally makes it unlawful to include age preferences, limitations, or specifications in job notices or ads. A job notice or ad may specify an age limit only in the rare circumstances where age is shown to be a “bona fide occupational qualification” (BFOQ) — for example, airline pilots must retire at age 65 in the U.S.

•     In general, you should not be asked your date of birth or age on an application or in an interview, although the ADEA does not specifically prohibit this. However, you may file a complaint if you feel you were discriminated against because of your age, and the request for age information will be “closely scrutinized to makes sure that the inquiry was made for a lawful purpose, rather than for a purpose prohibited by the ADEA.”


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10 Tips to a Winning Telephone Interview

11/16/2012

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Have you ever wondered what you need to do to conduct a successful telephone interview? The following are 10 tips you can use to outperform your competitors and move that much closer to receiving your dream offer.

1. Choose a location that provides minimal noise disturbance. In situations where this is not possible, reduce negative fallout by mentioning potential interruptions at the onset of the appointment.

2. Carefully review the job posting and for each performance requirement, identify one achievement you accomplished for a previous employer and present it during the interview using the STAR method (i.e. situation, task, action, and result).

3. Identify two or three questions you can ask the interviewer that demonstrates your understanding of the industry as well as your competency.

4. Research the company and their industry and be prepared to strategically reinforce your interview responses with information you gleaned during your research. Further, if possible discover who will conduct your interview ahead of time and learn as much about them as you can. Great sources of information are company blogs, Twitter feeds, and even LinkedIn profiles!

5. Draft your thank you letter in advance and plan to send it immediately after the interview concludes. Be sure to insert a sentence or two regarding a topic you discussed during the call.

6. Dress for the interview as if it is being done in person. This will mentally prepare you to conduct yourself professionally and position you to advance to the next stage of the process.

7. Do not consume any food, candy, or gum during your phone interview. This is extremely unprofessional as well as distracting.

8. If it can be avoided, try not to conduct the interview when you are ill as you only have one opportunity to present a good first impression.

9. Do not schedule the phone interview to occur during your commute time. If possible, schedule it when you have access to a landline phone. Otherwise, be sure to be stationary and somewhere where your cell phone has optimal coverage.

10. Consider investing in an interview coaching session to fully prepare for your phone interview. Recruiters and hiring managers frequently use these to whittle down the applicant pile to a more manageable number.

11. Bonus Tip: Offer to conduct your interview via Skype. Even if the interviewer declines, you will quickly differentiate yourself from your competitors by emphasizing your willingness to utilize video conferencing capabilities.

What other suggestions do you have? What differences have you experienced when preparing for a traditional interview versus a telephone interview? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.


Article originally printed on Examiner.com by Margi Williams

Image credit: Gettys Photo on Examiner.com

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Information interviews: Why they are effective

10/8/2012

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Information interviews are one of the best kept secrets at a career seeker's disposal when conducting a competitive job search. The reasons they prove themselves useful are two-fold. First, information interviews offer serious career explorers an inside track regarding hidden job opportunities in a extremely volatile job market. It is a proven fact that a large percentage of employers elect to hire employee referrals before even considering applicants without an employee sponsor.

In fact, Payscale reports, "employers seem to prefer referred candidates over traditional applicants in terms of their fit with company culture and overall cost." The belief is that referred candidates are usually fully vetted. Because existing employees understand company culture, position requirements and ideal experience criteria, they are in the best position to refer quality candidates. Consequently, these individuals are immediately positioned to rapidly advance through the selection process.

Second, information interviews provide job seekers the opportunity to explore new career paths under the tutelage of industry veterans. It offers individuals a strategic outlet to either explore employment opportunities or simply learn more about a potential career path.

Further, information interviews produce an additional benefit in that they create a unique and compelling opportunity to cultivate new relationships and in doing so, build and leverage a powerful professional network.

What are some alternate ways informational interviews can be used to position you for career advancement? What examples do you have that demonstrate how industry leaders can be approached to schedule information interviews?

Article originally printed on Examiner.com by Margi Williams and approved for reprint.
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    “Margi has been recognized as one of the Top Career Transition Coaches by Coach Foundation.”

    "I help individuals, families, and organizations navigate complicated career transitions and build strengths-based careers."

    -- Margi Williams, MSIOP, CPC

    Author

    Margi is a certified Career Strategist who’s privileged to partner with candidates navigating complicated career transitions.
     
    Amid an historic economic recession, she built a career management boutique from the ground up, empowering thousands of candidates to thrive in a competitive labor market since 2010. With personal experience navigating an unexpected corporate restructuring, she actively cultivates strategic partnerships that build and strengthen the talent space.
     
    Combining training in psychological theory and assessment with a passion for career development and operational excellence, she designs and mobilizes talent mobility methods and frameworks that improve job satisfaction, worker engagement, and organizational performance.
     
    With a Master of Science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Bachelor of Business Administration, she's collaborated with highly renowned job boards and outplacement firms like CareerBuilder, Careerminds, iHire, Impact Group, Indeed, RiseSmart, and the White Hawk Group.
     
    She maintains active memberships with the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), National Career Development Association (NCDA), and Career Thought Leaders Consortium (CTL). 

    View my profile on LinkedIn

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